Game development, technology, and Japan.

Category Archives: Reviews

The RTsoft PUBG squad both online and IRL. Akiko, June, Cosmo. Pic taken by Seth

A true story from PUBG

“I think I hear footsteps outside” Akiko whispered. I was confident we’d be safe, at least for a while, in the mountain shack we’d found. Our blessed respite from the cruel world of PUBG was about to be shattered.

“Stay here, I’ll check it out”. I opened the door and creeped around the outside of the building. “They think they can come here and threaten… ” I didn’t get a chance to finish my thought as it was unceremoniously interrupted by a shotgun blast to the back of my head.

Akiko screamed as she watched through the window. I fell to my knees and tried in vain to crawl back to the door. He stood over me, gun in hand, preparing a second shot to end my suffering.

But the shot didn’t come. He’d noticed movement inside the house. The bastard turned his attention toward my wife and there was nothing I could do about it.

In a panic, hands shaking, Akiko burst from the cabin firing wildly. But alas, her bullets did not meet their intended target.

The cutthroat returned fire and brutally put her down. I collapse only inches from her sprawled body. She died trying to save me.

Why PUBG is good

PUBG (and the survival/battle royale rules that Brendan Greene and others have developed and tweaked) breaks with tradition in a lot of ways:

There is no story (other than your own)

There is no voice acting (other than the occasional grunt)

There are no cut scenes

There is no text chat

Name labels are not drawn over enemies

A single round can last up to 35 minutes

Matchmaker ignores skill/ratings and just puts everybody together

It can be unfair. It’s not designed to be fair

You are dumped into a large open world with random loot and vehicle placements. It supports varied play styles, you can rambo it up and shoot everyone, or be stealthy and win without firing a shot. There really isn’t a wrong way to play.

A big part of the allure is the variety of situations that can occur due to randomness. No two games are alike. The scavenging aspect is a form of slot machine gambling (the good kind, not to be confused with money sucking loot crates), will you find that 8x scope in that bathroom or just another pair of shoes?

If you can find the right pieces for your gun, you can sort of create a matching set that gives you an advantage. Looting more houses gives you more lottery tickets to scratch.

In some ways it takes inspiration from games like FTL or Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space in that random loot drives a game that lasts less than an hour. This combined with solid FPS gunplay and huge worlds (the “can’t find other players” problem has been neatly solved by an ever-shrinking playfield) present an amazing experience.

Loot crate controversy!

Jim Sterling is doing the Lord’s work by calling out the recent crate madness. I don’t think people should support premium games that give a clear round-winning advantage to those who spend more, play a different game instead.

I’ve never bought a loot crate in any game. PUBG’s cosmetic crates don’t bother me. I just sell the ones I naturally earn through gameplay via the Steam store. I’ve made $40+ US doing that so hey, it paid for the game. <shrug>

PUBG Bugs and technical considerations

Nothing is perfect. Cheating is rampant. To give you an idea, over 1.5 MILLION accounts have been banned from PUBG. (that’s $45M in purchased copies, it’s insane)

I suspect the recent rubber-banding issues were from new anti-hack security, the more accurately you want to check and verify player actions, the slower the server gets. (I have a lot of experience with this…)

I play on the KR/JPN servers and latency is often an issue. PUBG does not give us any in-game tools to clearly check our latency which is a bummer because it DOES matter when resolving “who shot first”.

The future

People were ready for a game mode that cut out the fluff and just presented the meat. As usual, after a hit like this, over saturation will occur and soon enough, we’ll be ready for the next thing…

At an extremely spendy price of $3,000 I picked up a HoloLens. Why so much more than a Rift or Vive?

Well, the biggest difference is instead of tethering to your computer, this thing IS a computer+kinect small enough to wear.

Welcome to the world of mixed reality! I hope I’m keeping up with my jargon correctly

Mobile VR is trash, HoloLens is different

The current mobile VR solutions (GearVR, Google Daydream, etc) are garbage, you know why? They can’t track positional movement. Take a step sideways or forward – in the game nothing happens.

This means there is an entire category of games they won’t work with – basically nothing where you move around a room naturally.

HoloLens is different (well, it’s AR/MR and not VR for one, but that’s not the point here), it can fully track position/rotation/acceleration, you can even do something a Vive can’t – you can walk BETWEEN ROOMS and it knows.

Without any complicated setup, you can plop this on someone’s head and it just works, anywhere. Oh, and it’s fast. As for tracking your hand.. well, not so fast, we’ll get into that later.

Akiko knows kung-fu

It uses multiple cameras (normal and infrared) to figure out where your walls, table, and chairs are – and is capable of knowing exactly where your head is located in space.

It’s quick enough to feel nearly as smooth as say, a Vive. I think it’s using acceleration/rotation sensors to do accurate predictions while constantly correcting things with the camera based space-mapping but it works well despite the occasional glitch.

I didn’t expect it to track outside (it must use walls to calculate head position, right?) but it worked fine! I guess it’s scanning the ground or something.

Cool, but here are the problems

At 1268×720 resolution per eye, the objects you’ll see overlaid look great – but that’s mostly because the DPI (dots per inch) are so tiny.

If you hold a piece of A4 paper at arm’s length you’ll get an idea of how small the rendering area is.

The actual screen overlay area is tiny

This means when a spaceship tries to run away in a game, it just gets cut-off unless you turn your head to follow it. A workaround that games are using is they will pop up an arrow “<– It’s over there!” to help you find it again. Not great, but hey.

It also isn’t able to overlay graphics too close, like if you set your GL near plane too far away. You can see the image break apart in the gif below.

Click this gif to view it in action. Don’t blame me if you get sick

Kinect delay is back, baby

It can sort of track one of your hands – but it’s too laggy to be of much use for anything. It’s a better experience to move your head around to put a centered crosshair on an option, then use the included remote’s satisfying clicker to select something.

Random free idea that makes no sense due to the hardware requirements: Use with a Vive hand control to make a spray paint simulator so you can tag up your house.

Seth’s verdict

The good:

The wall mapping and fast, accurate positional tracking is amazing. This is a hard nut to crack and probably the most impressive thing about the entire HoloLens project

It barely works, but it can sort of do smart occlusion around physical objects (if a real chair is in front of the hologram, it won’t render the hologram there) – its 3d scanning is too rough but .. it’s still tantalizing us with what the future will hold

The bad:

Costly, it’s squarely in “developers only” territory right now. It’s no surprise it’s only sold “thousands”

The tiny video overlay area is very limiting

Laggy-ass gesture controls are bad for most gaming

Can’t walk up close enough to objects, they disappear

UE4 doesn’t support HoloLens as an export target, I don’t think there is a way to build it without fighting with Microsoft’s hacked up version of UE4 they did a while back, no thanks

There are rumors that Microsoft has canceled the 2nd generation HoloLens and are skipping straight to a 3rd gen version slated for release in 2019. Interesting.

It’s way too easy

You would fight and die in a limited area over and over – there was a sense of urgency due to the quest timers. You would fail the first few games, but you could restart the game while keeping your level/upgrades.

In the previous outing, Dead Rising 3 was missing that, but at least forced you to find save points.

But in Dead Rising 4, it auto saves constantly, not that you’ll need it. I only died once – near the end of the game, and only on a final boss. There is zero worry or tension to “make it back to the save point” in this game.

Saving survivors is generic

Ok, I know, everybody hates escort quests, but if each survivor had unique dialog and not TOO far to escort, it would have been more meaningful than the simple “kill all zombies within 5 meters and insta-win” for every single survivor interaction. Cheap.

Emergency shelters are entirely unnecessary

There are upgradable shelters where you can buy things. Survivors will show up in these, upgrading them. I don’t think I visited a single one more than once, and ordered a car only a single time. They are completely interchangeable and meaningless in the grand scheme of things. A real waste, why even have them if you’re gonna do that.

It was over so quick

It’s a very short campaign. There is this gorgeous huge mall area but I only ran through it like once, figuring I’d need to come back. I didn’t. The game ended suddenly, and that was it. I only got to kill a couple “Maniacs”, as I incorrectly figured I’d be required to kill some later but never was. Poor writing, small amount of mission/story content.

Loot was overpowered

There was never any real reason to need new blueprints or carefully make/hoard good weapons or health items. Everything is everywhere in great quantities.

How I would fix it

MAKE IT HARD! It should actually be possible to be surrounded by zombies and die. This would add an element of strategy so you might have to find roof to roof routes instead of how it is now, which is just go anywhere and jump a lot while laughing and being zany. See Dying Light for an example

Cut health in half and kill or dramatically nerf the health regen. Put the best weapons and health items in logical stores. If you really have to ruin the game, at least add it as an “Easy mode” and default to normal

Ditch the generic “shelters” and instead wrap the narrative around a specific group at one shelter for a while

Need an actual story. What is here is REALLY bland and squanders the dramatic opportunity a zombie apocalypse can offer

Tie maniac killing into the main story line “We need this gasoline stand cleaned out for the generator, so you’ll have to kill the maniac there” type stuff. Or even a dumb “Kill 2 more maniacs to advance the story” if you have to, anything to control the pacing better

For the love of all that is holy, remove auto save and force the player to locate and use save points, which will then show up on the map

Tune difficulty so you’ll stay in each area for much longer doing quests for your “group”. Also have a group. Control game flow to introduce new areas at a steady rate and learn the maps

Ramp up item powers/blueprints slowly, you shouldn’t be able to get the best stuff right away. After gaining power, modify the rules to keep the early areas difficult again to throw the player off balance. (Remember those bee things from the first one?)

The comedy of putting on crazy clothes is ok, but having the main character randomly give mostly dumb zingers constantly didn’t really work. I guess I’m asking for better writing, something a bit more subtle with the humor

The engine, visuals, and weapon mechanics were all fine, I’d keep those

I’m not exactly sure about this one, but I would bring back “restart game with acquired levels/skills” and quest/rescue timers. It’s a bit controversial but let’s face it, that’s why we’ll never forget the earlier titles in the series

Ok, sorry for the rant but at least I feel better now. Maybe this just didn’t have the budget or time to do a proper campaign but even with with just balance tweaks and the save point improvements this could have been a much better game.

It’s an exciting time in the world of VR because everybody is experimenting with various ideas and control schemes – the “genres” are being invented right in front of us!

Here are some quick thoughts on some games and apps I’ve played.

(most of the pics are taken from the store pages, I only linked the Steam-based games as I don’t think you can directly link to Rift store pages)

The Lab (Vive)

This is Valve’s thing, it’s a bunch of mini-games experimenting with various controls. This is the first thing you should download and is better than most of the other stuff for sale. Did I mention it’s free?

This is my favorite game on VR. You jump, dodge, and do cool moves as you shoot arrows in all directions. You kind of enter a zone, like racquetball or tennis, and your body even gets an equivalent work out.

In many arcade type games, if you don’t shoot something in time, it explodes, shooting projectiles at you. Here, that’s true, but if you DO shoot it in time, it STILL explodes, just with more controlled timing. That tweak is what really makes this work.

The first VR Rhythm game? It’s another “must have” and really delivers, but it could be so much better. Needs the features of a modern Dance Dance Revolution including manual editing of song data (it’s currently all dynamically generated based on song audio as far as I can tell), combo scoring, playlists, pro-made song library, etc.

This Oculus showcase title might be the highest quality thing out there for the Rift right now. Like Lucky’s Tale, for some reason it seems to be aimed at a very young audience. The annoying overly cutesy side-kick that won’t leave you alone will have you whispering “kill jester”.

But this game (?) does perfectly emphasize the Rift’s strengths – a 360 degree seated experience that doesn’t make you nauseous and they nailed navigating with your little remote thing. The scenery is gorgeous.

There is a “you have to wait until tomorrow to see more” time-based content gate on this. Huh.

If you want to bang your head on the floor trying to look through a hole and have a heart attack as you throw a knife at a robot while screaming for your life, this is the game!

It’s just a demo but it has nicely found a way to merge room VR with larger spaces using a portal like “see before you hop through” mechanic. It’s a must get, and will be an insta-buy for me when the full version is released. (Steam page says it’s coming later this year)

Ok, screenshots are too much work, so now we’re on to mini-reviews that don’t even have pics.

ADR1FT (Rift)

Nope nope nope. Jetting around at multiple speeds while rotating in every direction is exactly what you never want to do with VR. About five minutes in I was ready to hurl. To be fair, it and most of the other Rift retch-inducing games available are labeled “Comfort: Intense” so I should have known better. I guess some people can handle this type of thing? If you want to star in the movie Gravity as well as enjoy technicolor yawning, this might be for you.

Job Simulator (Vive): Solid but .. it does sometimes feel like a job to play. I guess what I mean is if you get 90% through one of the four job’s “story” and you crash, you probably won’t want to replay it again to see the last 10%. I guess it’s good, just sort of slow paced and linear while simultaneously letting you play with a bunch of virtual toys.

Fantastic Contraption (Vive): I love the concept and they really nailed the interface but why does part of my car fall apart but the identical thing I did on the other side doesn’t?! What am I doing wrong? My kingdom for a stiff joint! Only three contraption parts? You probably shouldn’t listen to anything I say here until I can at least pass level 4.

Hover Junkers (Vive): Multiplayer only, my record is 20 deaths, 0 kills. That says everything about my experience with this game. Probably good once you figure out how to kill anything. Did I even hit that guy? How much damage did I do?

Space Pirate Trainer (Vive): Not bad, but it just made me want to play Holopoint, similar idea. Still in early access, looking forward to seeing how this shapes up.

Vanishing Realms (Vive): Interesting and probably what most people imagine a “VR fantasy experience” is going to be like.

Universe Sandbox 2 (Vive): OoOoo… I’m so glad this exists. It’s early access and has some performance issues but spawning planets is surely something you want to do.

Tilt Brush (Vive): Google’s 3D painting app is one of the top experiences on the Vive. Explore other people’s work (wish there was more..) or make your own. I don’t understand why all the paints are so flat. I want to paint some pipes, for instance. Wish it came with some in-app music options, I could totally see zenning out in here. (Side note, I just noticed SculptiVR, that looks like another good one to get)

Dreadhalls (Gear VR, Rift): I’ve only played the Gear VR version so far (we’re getting into a weird place with having to re-buy the same game for various VR platforms…) but yeah, it’s very scary so it’s probably good on the Rift too.

Conclusion:

I’ve only brushed the surface, new VR apps are being released daily.

If you’ve got a favorite, let me know. I’m especially looking for room scale games that will get my heart rate going.

Ok, I finally got my hands on the final consumer models and have given them enough play time to feel like I know what’s going on.

If you’ve been living under a rock and don’t know what these are: they are kits for your computer to enter the magical world of “Virtual reality” apps and games.

Which parts are the same between these devices?

Both are the same resolution. Both run at 90hz and have roughly the same field of view. Both are USB hubs internally that add a ton of devices. (Vive takes one port, Rift takes two)

Both have their own store/in-between game area that allow you to change and buy games without taking your headset off.

Both screens don’t handle certain high contrast images great, like white text on a black background. It sort of adds a glare or foggy type of feel due to the lensing structure. Rift might have a slight advantage in the visuals.

The Rift

The Rift headset is slightly lighter and more comfortable than the Vive. It has built-in (but removable) headphones which simplifies getting in and out of it.

The controllers packed with the Rift

It’s packaged with a tiny remote that reminds me of the Apple TV or FireTV remote. It’s reported to be usable for 4,000 hours before needing a battery replacement – not surprising considering it doesn’t have a gyro, haptics, or anything else, it’s just for simple selections.

Strangely, it also comes with an Xbox One controller. I only found it required for a couple games, most are ok with the tiny remote thing. I have to use it wired because they don’t include the wireless adaptor because I’m in Japan and apparently it uses radio frequencies that aren’t allowed here. (Shhh, I imported a US Xbox One a while back, guess I’m an outlaw now)

Rift technology

This is a decent update to my old Oculus DK2. We’ve now got 2160×1200 vs 1920×1080, faster refresh, built in mic/audio, and it’s lighter to boot.

You can now swivel a true 360 degrees because the headset has had tracking LEDs placed on the back too.

Unfortunately the tracking technology choice is what potentially dooms it, more on this later.

The Vive

Ok, now the Vive.

First off, the included earbuds are not a great experience. They were constantly being pushed and pulled by the cabling which sometimes causes them to pop out.

While demoing the Vive to friends it’s especially awkward to be asked “could you put that back into my ear, I can’t because I’m holding these controllers”. No way, do it yourself!

These are what really make the experience something special. The accuracy and tracking are so good you can toss one up in the air and catch it again with only the VR visuals. I’ve noticed no jitter or occlusion issues.

Vive technology

Unlike with the Rift, you have to Boba Vila it up a bit and mount the two Vive sensors in opposite corners of your room. (actually, these little boxes just spray non-visible light around your room, it’s the devices you’re wearing/holding that do the actual sensing)

Note: When the “lighthouses” are on, they screw with other IR devices you might be using. For example, I can’t control my room lights.

Don’t cut corners during the mounting because the moving pieces inside cause these things to slightly vibrate which could cause a shift in position.

My “room VR” space is pretty sad. Have I mentioned I live in an apartment in Japan? I now have a garbage can on top of my refrigerator, to give you an idea of the tetris-like compression wonders that had to be achieved to make this possible at all.

With the Oculus DK1 and DK2 I was excitedly telling people “we aren’t quite there yet, but this is going to be amazing someday”. Kind of a “Marty, your kids are going to love it” thing.

Well, we’re there now, folks. If you can handle the discomfort of wearing what is essentially a tethered scuba mask, it’s now possible to get your mind blown in VR.

Rift vs Vive

Vive easily wins the VR wars for now because it can also support room scale. You just don’t get sick when playing “room scale” VR (content designed for you to walk around on a 1 to 1 movement basis).

Also, the motion controls being available now would also have put it into the lead, they are a must for VR.

We can’t quite knock the CV1 out of the running yet because soon they are going to release Oculus Touch which includes another sensor and motion tracked controls. It remains to be seen if it will accurately track at room scale at the quality the Vive does, or even if they suggest trying to set things up that way.

I’ve read that games like Job Simulator and Fantastic Contraption are being re-tooled to be “forward facing experiences” for the CV1 and its new controllers, so this points to room VR/360 degree motion control play not being a main focus for the CV1.

Unfortunately, even assuming the CV1 will eventually be able to do room scale VR there would be a fragmented market between “People who don’t have the new Touch controls”, “People who do but put both sensors on their desk” and “People who tried to setup the sensors for Room VR”.

Rift store vs the Vive store

The Rift store currently has no user rating system so it’s hard to know what the best software is.

Vive uses Steam so of course it has a top notch ratings/community systems. (quiet in back, yeah, it’s not perfect, but much better than no ratings!)

Ease of Development with Vive and CV1

I had a simple UE4 scene with Vive + Motion controllers being tracked working in 15 minutes using this tutorial.

On import, I rotated them by 90 degrees on the Roll and Yaw and they perfectly matched.

I unplugged the Vive stuff, plugged in the Rift, checked the “Unknown sources” button in the Oculus settings, restarted UE4 and ran the same test app – it worked first try! I was only 3 inches tall but hey, that could be adjusted.

I don’t know anything about distribution builds or how hard it is to get listed in the various stores, but hey, at least it’s easy to play with out of the box.